Thursday, July 6, 2017

By Elisabeth McGowan Online ratings – you can’t live with them and you can’t live without them. You need them sometimes. Buying from that company that’s selling that hot designer dress for the lowest price on the internet needs some investigating – ratings can help you decide who to do business with.

“Don’t buy from this company – they’re scammers!” “Late delivery, wrong item, and very expensive. Do NOT trust this seller!” are some reviews we’ve all read in online public forums.

Now, what happens when you’re that one who experienced the worst and is complaining online to warn every interested customer? It’s empowering isn’t it? Writing that review, complaining with such specificity and personality that you know everyone who reads this will have to take you seriously. It’s great to leave that negative review for the business that deserves it, even though you still didn’t get the right product you wanted in the long run. But hey, at least you wrote that review right?

You see some shady things all over the internet – some horror stories from upset customers. Stories that you can’t even believe because they sound….insane. I think it can sometimes depend on who the person is that wrote the review. Can they be trusted? Are they just some kid who wants to have some fun and take down that one company that refused to discount them for no reason at all? Are they a reliable and experienced buyer who is simply trying to warn you to avoid purchasing from such an untrustworthy company?

I think writing an online review says a lot about yourself as the critic. Perhaps you’ve seen the common reviews that include words like “OMG” “LMFAO GTFO, you suck [business name]!” Many associate this type of vocabulary with millennials – it’s sad, but it’s true for some out there. Maybe you’ve read reviews with different types of lingo from other generations and/or cultures. I’m pretty sure every millennial would laugh at a “Gee Willikers!” comment on Yelp.

Looking at online reviews and ratings just goes to show how reliable or what a total joke a business is, while writing that review also reveals the critic’s general persona.

Playwrights Emily Thomas and Helene Ellford capture this depiction of online business reviews through an abundance of satire and humor in their hilarious, yet frighteningly somewhat realistic viewpoint of society, play – Self Yelp.

With an internet-intrigued millennial, a fairly normal thirty-two-year-old who seems to face a lot of bad luck, a typical actor who acts like an eager A-lister start-up, a sex-enthusiastic gynecologist, and…a zombie. This large variety of characters makes Self Yelp appear almost cinematographic, but it’s on stage! With a very unique approach with its different stories for each set of characters, it’s a guarantee that anyone will love this.

It does more than just spark laughter though. It actually raises some questions: How much is too much? Will Alicia ever actually hit a real #lifegoals moment? Can Kyle learn the difference between method acting and being in character versus someone actually living as a zombie? Could Angela Lucy ever understand that manipulating a customer is…I don’t know, bad? And last but not least, can Kendra gain the confidence to stand her ground…especially with a strangely, sexually-playful gynecologist? Online ratings are always a learning lesson, am I right? Comment below!

Come to the Riant Theatre’s Strawberry One-Act Festival to catch Self Yelp, playing July 14th, 18th, 22nd, and 25th at The Theater at St. Clement’s: 423 West 46th Street, New York.

SELF YELP By Emily Thomas & Helene Ellford

The lives of various NYC Yelp reviewers intertwine as we learn about the joy and frustration they experience via their Yelp reviews. Five stars. Inspired by true events and written and performed by Emily Thomas and Helene Ellford.

Friday, July 14th at 9pmTuesday, July 18th at 7pmSaturday, July 22nd at 7pmTuesday, July 25th at 9pm